Filmmakers beeline for terror movie title

London (ANI): Taj Terror, Operation Five Star Mumbai, 26/11 Mumbai Under Terror and Shootout at Oberoi—if you are thinking that these are some of the headlines picked out of newspapers after the recent Mumbai attacks, you certainly need a reality check. The titles mentioned above make part of the 20 titles waiting for approval for possible movies based on the last month"s events.

For many, this sprint to get the titles registered is in bad taste after so many funerals, and for others, the events make for true drama ideal to be showcased on the big screen. "It always happens. People jump on every tragedy. It is like ambulance chasing," the BBC quoted well-known documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan as saying.

He added: "A tiny percentage of these film-makers may be sincere. A film should be genuine and sensitive. If it tries to reduce violence and communal hatred - which is the underlying reason for such violence - then it should be made and is good for society. But the chances are that it is an attempt to exploit the misery of people."

Sushma Shiromanee, vice-president of the Indian Motion Pictures and Producers'' Association, a body that deals with title registration for Hindi films in Mumbai, confirmed that many producers had applied for titles related to the Mumbai attacks. But experts have said that no matter how many films get registered, only a few of them actually see the light of the day.

"When an event like this happens, several producers and writers want to tell the story. Many have applied for titles pertaining to the attacks. These applications will be studied by our committee and if anything is inappropriate, we''ll advise them to change it. These procedures take almost a month," said Shiromanee.

Many trade analysts have said that the unprecedented manner in which 10 gunmen entered the city and opened fire, held hostages for more than two days, and left more than 170 people dead is actually a valuable film material, and film-makers are vying to depict different aspects of that 60 hour ordeal.

Writer-producer B. Subhash, who has applied for a title called 'Bird''s point of view of the Taj Terror", said that rather than being in bad taste, his film was aimed to bring out the impact of terror on innocent lives. A large number of filmmakers have said that the human angle will be their focus when they make a film on the Mumbai terror attacks.

Jug Mundra, whose film Shoot on Sight was based on the lives of people after the London bombings of 2005, said that a fresh perspective was required. He said: "Filmmakers are always looking for drama which often comes from conflict situations such as this."